


RSVP

by epersonae



Series: the only life you could save [9]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angus tries to fix his found family, Gen, Teen for Swears, teen for teenage Angus, the prequel I didn't know I needed to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 15:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14191578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epersonae/pseuds/epersonae
Summary: Angus deals with some feelings. Magnus loans his stone of farspeech. Taako and Lucretia are skeptical at best, but the stage is set for a fateful conversation.





	RSVP

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the WDA for a rambly chat that got me thinking about how we got to the setup for Find the One Safe Way.

It’s not that Angus McDonald is mad, exactly, they’re just who they are and he has to expect that. It’s just — this is something that’s important to him, and he’d hoped maybe they could just put their horseshit aside for half a damn minute.

There are two letters on the table, one in a tidy precise hand in dark ink on crisp paper, the other in a looping scrawl of purple on paper with actual sparkles embedded in it. Her tone is serious and a bit apologetic; his is imperious underneath the goofs. But they’re asking the same thing: is the other one going to be there? Can they be seated separately? Do they have to interact? Taako leans more towards  _ please keep Lucretia away from me _ and Lucretia towards  _ I can stay out of Taako’s way if you need me to _ , but either way, he’s tired of it.

When he was a kid, he tried to get them to talk, but that didn’t work, and then for a while he was inclined to take her side, because it was easy to see things from her point of view. And then he thought about it, like he thought about everything, and he saw how hard Taako had worked to get what emotional balance he had, and his perspective shifted again.

But really, he loves them both. He loves all of his family, loves being enmeshed in this strange extended gang of parents and aunts and uncles and cousins. But Lucretia took him in and brought him into all this; she was his moon mom before she was his  _ mother _ . And Taako taught him magic, treated him like he was smart and capable, listened to what he had to say,  _ trusted him _ when Taako trusted literally no one else.

So he pushes the two RSVP notes aside and lays his head down on his desk. He’s not crying. He’s too old for that. But yeah, maybe, he’s upset a little bit, and when Magnus knocks on the door his face is a little wet.

“Hey kiddo I’m here, let’s get some lunch —” and then Magnus cuts himself off, grabs Angus in a hug before he can even say anything, and then Magnus notices the notes on the table. Tear-stained, now, though he doesn’t remember crying that hard, and Magnus’s expression darkens as he picks them up and reads them.

Magnus lets out a long sigh, looks at both letters again, and tosses them back on the table.

“I’m fine dad, really.”

He and Magnus are of much the same size now, but it still feels like Magnus is looking down at him with that tough stare.

“Nope, I don’t think so, kid. I think it’s time.”

“How do you mean?”

Magnus takes out his stone of farspeech and hands it to Angus.

“I think it’s time they talk, don’t you?”

“Sir….”

“I know, I know, it’s never worked before. But fuck this. First time for everything, right? And we might as well give it one more shot before your big to-do.”

Angus looks at the stone in Magnus’s hand like it’s on fire or coated with poison. No coming back from this, if he puts himself in between them. Magnus gives him an encouraging nod as he picks up the stone.

“Taako’s Amazing School of Magic, you’ve reached Taako.”

“Hello sir, it’s Angus.”

“Ango! Bubeleh! What’s the haps? You ready for your big graduation? It’s gonna be a hell of a shindig.”

He glances at Magnus, who nods again.  _ Tell him _ , he mouths.

“Sir —” He squares his shoulders, though Taako can’t see it. “I’m going to need your help.”

“I knew it!” Taako crows. “You want cha’boy to cater a proper party. I’m onto you, Agnes.”

“No.” He swallows the  _ sir _ , the formality that comes out when he’s nervous. “I need you to talk to m — to talk to Lucretia.”

“Mmmmmmmm, how ‘bout nope?” The hard pop of the “p” crackles on the line. Angus looks to Magnus, who shakes his head very slightly.

“This isn’t — I’m not asking.”

“Still no, boychick. Taako will be perfectly civil, don’t you worry a bit about me, I can behave myself around Lucy no problem. Don’t need to have a  _ fucking conversation _ for that.”

Angus lets out a long sigh and puts a hand over the stone before whispering to Magnus: “What am I supposed to do?”

Magnus takes it out of his hand. “Taak.”

“Ah, here we go,” he replies. “Should’ve known you were behind this. Leader of the kumbaya brigade, one Magnus Burnsides.”

“Taako, cut it out, seriously.” They can both hear the eyeroll on the other side of the conversation. Magnus’s voice drops to a deep whisper. “I found him fucking crying, Taak. Could you just….”

“Ugh, love this. Love the guilt trip, that’s great,  _ super _ appreciate that.” A sharp exhalation through his nose. “Alright, okay, fine.  _ If _ — and that’s  _ if _ — you can get her highness to come here, my house, my turf, then yeah, sure. Go nuts.”

Magnus hands the stone back to Angus.

“I’ll talk to her,” he says, relief flooding through his veins. “I’m sure she’ll —”

Taako makes a sharp little noise. “Hush, Agnes darling. Don’t count your chickens until we’ve hatched.” His voice softens. “Don’t take it so personal, boychick, not your fault that...you know. We’ll make it a hell of a shindig regardless, yeah?”

“Okay.” That’s not quite what he wants, but he supposes it’s what he’ll get. He hangs up, then looks at Magnus. “Was that…?”

Magnus shrugs. “Coulda been worse. I’ll ask Kravitz to say something.”

“You don’t have to, sir.”

“When you’re feeling shitty enough to go back to calling us both ‘sir’, I kinda do.” Angus smiles despite himself. “Alright. Next call?”

Angus sighs again.

“While we’re on a roll?” asks Magnus.

Angus puts in the other frequency.

“Mags?” she says. “What’s up? Are we still —”

“Mom, it’s me.”

She makes a little surprised noise. He hesitates, biting his lip. Finally he says, “So, I got your RSVP.”

“Oh good, I know it’s just a formality, but I thought I should —”

“I need to ask you a favor.”

“Do you need me to come in late? That’s fine, I can certainly….” She trails off softly.

“No, it’s not that. I want you to — please talk to Taako? Before?”

“Oh.” He can hear her breathing for a long beat. “Do you think he will…?”

“I asked him first,” he says.

She chuckles. “I bet that was….”

“Are you okay going to his place?” he asks, feeling a little sharper than he expected.

She sighs. “Are you sure about this, dear? We can manage, I’m sure, without resorting to, you know.”

He looks at Magnus, rolling his eyes. He expects a certain balkiness from Taako, but he thought Lucretia would at least be interested in trying again.

Magnus leans over and talks into the stone.

“C’mon Luce, what’s it gonna hurt? Just talk a little bit, maybe you’ll feel better.”

She scoffs. “That seems unlikely, but sure, why not?”

“That’s my girl,” says Magnus, and she chuckles. 

“Thanks, mom,” Angus says, “and I promise —”

“Don’t promise anything,” she replies, her tone turning sharp. “This isn’t something you can — anyway,  _ I’ll _ try my best.”

“I know.” There’s not much more he can say, really. It’s in their hands now.


End file.
